H o m e    S c h o o l r o o m   ~  Reboot Room

For your convenience, Don now has his columns available on his site.  Read More...

If you have ever wanted to print a list of your computer's files and folders, Windows provides no easy way to do it. However, a free program called Directory Printer is available from Karen's Power Tools at www.karenware.com.  Read More...

Norma Barton wrote to ask how to download "StripMail" from my website so it can be activated from an icon on her Taskbar. Stripmail.exe strips away the pointy symbols (>) often seen in forwarded e-mails, along with fixing the malformatted "long and short lines of text" found in such forwards.  Read More...

I received an e-mail this morning saying I need to "update my eBay account" or it will be closed. I just have to click on the enclosed link and type my personal data into an online form. Yeah, right.  Read More...

One of the best things about the Internet is being able to find valuable tools and services for free, but that's also one of its most dangerous aspects. Spyware and adware have become so pervasive they are nearly impossible to avoid altogether; but you can take preventive and curative action.  Read More...

A reader called to say that when she presses the "Scan to Printer" button on her scanner the resulting printout is so large it requires multiple sheets of paper. She added that when she clicks "Scan to E-mail" the photo is often rejected as being too large an attachment.  Read More...

Among the most essential tools in my bag of handy tricks is a "Yellow Stickie Notes" program. It's the PC version of those stickies we use for scribbling notes which then get stuck somewhere for later referral. The program is fast, easy to use, and can be freely downloaded at www.pcdon.com.  Read More...

I continue to receive questions about copying one's e-mail Address Book (Contact List) from one program to another, or onto a different computer. Outlook Express users can go to File > Export > Address Book and follow the prompts to create a CSV (comma separated values) file, whose data can be copied into another program.  Read More...

I hear from a lot of folks who say an error message appears each time they turn on their computer. They also say clicking "Cancel" bypasses the message for the moment; but they would like to know how to remove the message forever. Well, the reasons for these messages are many and varied. Here are some possible fixes.  Read More...

Myrtle Housman wrote to say she has trouble finding pictures she wants to attach to outgoing e-mails. Well, learning to "browse" to a desired file (picture, document, musical selection, etc.) can take some practice; however, there is another "attach" method that many find easier to do.  Read More...

Vern Fowke wrote to ask why some e-mails received via Outlook Express print out in very tiny type, even though his screen text is a legible size. Well, oddly enough, OE's print-out sizes are controlled in Internet Explorer, wherein clicking on View > Text Size will display five height options.  Read More...

As hard drives have gotten larger in recent years, it has become increasingly important to have one's folders arranged in ways that make things easy to find. Windows tries to be helpful by providing a catch-all folder named My Documents, which contains other folders such as My Pictures and My Music.  Read More...

I've received a lot of "browser" questions recently, which I'll answer here. A browser's main purpose is to display information found on the Internet in a readable way on your monitor. The one most folks use is Internet Explorer since it comes bundled with all versions of Windows. Netscape, FireFox, and others can be freely obtained at Download.com.  Read More...

Jim Horn called to say he had written a manuscript with the word processor in MSWorks, and asked if it could be converted to WordPerfect, which came with his new PC. Well, let's look at compatibility issues among various programs.  Read More...

I recently mentioned that HTML files (Web pages) can be created with MSWord or Excel by going to File > Save As and choosing "Web Page (*.HTML)" in the "Save as Type:" box. This "Save As" feature is also available in MSPublisher and PowerPoint, which means these programs can be used to create HTML files for, say, one's own Home Page or to place inside an outgoing e-mail.  Read More...

I recently explained how to place properly aligned columns of text and numbers in an e-mail by creating an invoice in MSWord and saving it as an HTML file, which could be copied and pasted into an outgoing message. But my sample invoice required the sender to do math calculations separately. Here's how to have the form do its own math.  Read More...

Annette Chaffee wrote to say she needs to send e-mails with columns of numbers, but can't get the columns to line up properly. Well, numeric columns can easily be established in word processing documents with tab settings; but not all e-mail programs have tab options.  Read More...

When I wrote recently about Netscape 8.0 having some useful features, Karen Colterman mentioned that a Washington Post article had been critical of the browser and asked for my reaction.  Read More...

In the early days of the World Wide Web, Netscape Navigator had about 80% of the browser market and sold for $60. When Microsoft began to bundle Internet Explorer with Windows—at no extra charge—the market share percentages shifted in favor of the latter.  Read More...

Lynn Harper asked me to amplify on my recent mention of BMP and JPG image formats. BMP (bit map picture) was the original digital image format for Windows, and is still widely in use. However, BMPs tend to be space hogs that upload and download very slowly.  Read More...

A number of readers who downloaded EasyClean, a free program I recently mentioned, called to ask which "duplicate files" could be safely deleted. Well, generally speaking, "program" or "system" files should be left alone, while what you do with "personal" files is your choice. So how does one know the difference?  Read More...

Bob Dickey wrote to say a recent AP article in the NCTimes described "tagging" as a new, improved way of keeping track of one's personal files. However, Bob continued, he couldn't make sense of the explanation.  Read More...

One of the complaints I hear most often is that a computer has become unbearably slow. Well, there are a number of things that can cause this. Among the main culprits are programs that run in the background whenever you turn on your PC.  Read More...

A good deal of what I know about computers has come from readers of this column. As a recent example, I answered Ted Lohry's question regarding how to configure the MSWorks spreadsheet to balance a checkbook.  Read More...

Ted Lohry wrote to ask how to configure his MSWorks Spreadsheet program to display a current bank balance, once he had created columns for Date, Description, Deposit, Withdrawal, and Balance.  Read More...

Art Olson wrote to say when he presses "Enter" in MSWord his cursor jumps several spaces before beginning a new line, and that he can find no way to fix the problem.  Read More...

If you still get into your favorite programs via the hand/eye coordination game of Start > Programs > Whatever, you might want to consider a faster and easier way of doing it. Go ahead and use Start > Programs to find the application's "launch" file; only this time right-click it and choose "Send to Desktop (Create Shortcut)."  Read More...

Despite the fact computers have been around for over 25 years, I still get lots of questions such as "What's the difference between a "hard" and a "floppy" disk?" and "Why is there no "B-Drive?" Well, here's a rank beginner's overview.  Read More...

My CD player/burner's drawer refused to open recently, so I poked a straightened paper clip into the tiny hole alongside it to release the mechanism. After the drawer opened, I took a can of compressed air and aimed it into the open unit, which blew out a goodly collection of dust and lint. It works fine now.  Read More...

When I bought my first mouse in 1989 (for $80) I was surprised to discover I had nothing on my computer that worked with a mouse. Apple products had been mouse-activated for several years; but mouse-compatible programs for the PC were just starting to appear.  Read More...

As we continue to hear more about threats to our security on the Internet, the various tools with which to defend ourselves can be equally confounding. One of the most important tools, however, is common sense—avoid dangerous situations in the first place.  Read More...

As a means of helping readers discover more productive ways of using their PCs, I'd like to tell you about some of the ways I use mine. Over the years of owning a small business, I frequently needed advertising flyers printed. I would prepare the artwork by hand, using a typewriter where small text was required.  Read More...

A reader told me he'd received an e-mail displaying an image of a flowing waterfall and asked if he could use it as a desktop background. Yes, just about any graphic can be used for a background; but in this case, the image would first have to be copied from the e-mail onto one's hard drive by right-clicking it and choosing Save Picture As.  Read More...

A reader asked how to save his documents directly onto 3-1/2" disks, because his hard drive is running out of space. Since new computers come with huge hard drives nowadays, this is a question I rarely hear anymore; but here's how it's done.  Read More...

Have you ever sorted (alphabetized) a list of names, only to have, say, "Williams" come to the top while all the other names are in proper order? What usually causes this is an unnoticed blank space preceding the errant name.  Read More...

Microsoft's insistence on giving different products similar names often adds to the confusion. Some examples are Outlook and Outlook Express, Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer, as well as MSWord and MSWorks.  Read More...

Most PC users are familiar with "phishing"—e-mails that say some entity such as "your bank" is updating its customer files and needs you to fill in personal information, such as your SS or credit card numbers. A more recent threat is referred to as "pharming" and involves the use of programs called Trojans that can trick you into going to a "spoofed" site.  Read More...

A question I hear frequently is, "Should I buy an all-in-one device that does printing, scanning, and faxing—or should I buy individual devices?" Well, there was a time when all-in-one devices had a poor reputation for reliability; but I hear that they are now better-built and generally quite dependable.  Read More...

Nowadays all computer owners are familiar with e-mail—but have you tried using IMs (Instant Messages)? Today's young people tend to use IMs extensively, but I've found their elders often to be unfamiliar with the concept of using computers to hold live two-way conversations.  Read More...

Last time I mentioned that all Windows-based computers come with Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, along with the fact that most ISPs expect their subscribers to use IE for accessing the Web and OE for sending and receiving e-mail. However, many choose to use alternative products, which can be freely downloaded. Let's look at some of these options.  Read More...

A reader called to say he scanned a magazine article he wanted to share with a friend, but when he clicked his scanner's "Send as E-mail Attachment" button nothing happened. Well, the caller was an AOL e-mail user, and his scanner software wanted to attach the file to an Outlook Express e-mail. Let's take a closer look into the possibilities and potential problems here.  Read More...

With the mid-April tax deadline not too far off, you might want to consider filling in your own federal and state forms online. I've used www.turbotax.com for years and have found it easy to understand (if there is anything about income taxes that can actually be called understandable) with prices ranging from about $20 to $60 for basic forms.  Read More...

When I wrote recently that I preferred Google's new Map Service over the ones I had previously used, a reader wrote to say she agreed that the screen display was excellent, but that when she printed the map on paper it was splotchy and hard to read. Well, I tried to duplicate her problem, but couldn't.  Read More...

Gordon Gibson wrote to say he copied a news story from the Web and pasted it into MSWord so he could enlarge the font and do some other editing. The end result, however, was an assortment of long and short lines which did not "word wrap" properly.  Read More...

Several readers have complained that when they go to print a Web page a number of unwanted additional pages are often printed as well. This is not uncommon when one clicks the toolbar Printer icon, instead of going to File > Print, which brings up a dialogue box that offers a number of printing options, including "Selection" and "Pages_."  Read More...

A number of readers have asked how to adjust Tab settings in their word processing programs to create columns of items that are other than left-aligned. Well, all default Tab settings are left-aligned at 1/2 inch, meaning each time you strike the TAB key your cursor moves 1/2 inch to the right. However, you can override these settings and create your own.  Read More...

MSWord user Professor Larry W. Cohen wrote to say "Save" had disappeared from his "File" menu, and asked how to retrieve it. He added that the problem existed in only some of his Word documents. Well, MSWord toolbar icons and menu items can be easily added or removed by going to Tools > Customize.  Read More...

I wrote recently about how Picasa (free from http://www.google.com/) makes it easy to find and delete unneeded duplications of image files. Well, several readers have asked how to do this with other file types.  Read More...

If you've ever designed a greeting card on your computer, you may have been overwhelmed by the number of font choices available. There was a time when we were lucky to have a dozen or so fonts, but now it's not uncommon to have 100s—some of which may look nearly identical, and others that are just plain ugly.  Read More...

Regarding some graphics programs I recently mentioned, Marie Anne Lorenzini wrote to say she couldn't find a way to lighten a photo's background in Irfanview, and Al Roller said the "red-eye correction" feature in Picasa2 doesn't work properly. Well, all graphics programs have certain strengths and weaknesses.  Read More...

If you've ever designed a greeting card on your computer, you may have been overwhelmed by the number of font choices available. There was a time when we were lucky to have a dozen or so fonts, but now it's not uncommon to have 100s—some of which may look nearly identical, and others that are just plain ugly.  Read More...

Picasa, the free image-management program has been recently upgraded and is available at www.google.com. What I like most about Picasa2 is its ability organize and display thumbnail views of all folders containing images. I've collected thousands of pictures over the years, and created many folders to hold them.  Read More...

With Valentine's Day approaching, you might be thinking of putting a photo or other type of graphic into a message to your sweetheart. If you've ever used a "greeting card" program, you may already know how to do this. Nonetheless, here's an overview of inserting pictures into a word processing page or an email.  Read More...

Outlook Express user Jerry Mills wrote to say he always uses his font-formatting toolbar when he begins a new email—but when he clicks "Reply" on certain incoming messages the toolbar has disappeared. I told Jerry to click on Tools > Options > Send and make sure that "Reply to messages using format in which sent" is NOT checked.  Read More...

Marilyn Gramwall prepared some mailing labels for a church group by using MSWord Tables to lay out a sheet of 30 standard Avery #5160 labels per page, and then typed in the names and addresses label by label. When she asked if there was an easier way to do this, I referred her to the illustrated instructions on my Web site.  Read More...

Microsoft has finally come out with anti-spyware, which can be found at microsoft.com, and whose link has already been sent to many WinXP users. When I tried the program last night it found one malicious file on my PC. However, when I subsequently ran two other anti-spyware programs, they found two and seven more files, respectively.  Read More...

One of the advantages of using a digital camera is being able to edit your shots in all kinds of creative ways. Obvious edits might be, say, removing a blemish from someone's portrait or filling in someone's bald spot. Beyond cosmetic editing, you can make pictures darker or lighter or change their contrast levels.  Read More...

If you have handled digital images, you have found that most have file names with a JPG extension, meaning they were created using "Joint Photographic Experts Group" formatting. There are many other formats, with extensions such as BMP, GIF, and TIF, each with distinctive features best left to image-editing professionals.  Read More...

When I wrote recently about the cost of printing photos with an inkjet printer, Barbara Quanbeck wrote to say she just prints out a few for instant gratification, but takes others on a CD to Wal-Mart, whose printing charges are less than the cost of using her own ink cartridges.

Inkjet printers have come a long way in their ability to reproduce colors that rival the continuous-tone gradients produced by conventional film and darkroom methods.  Read More...

As digital cameras and ink jet printers proliferate, those of us who grew up taking 35mm film to a photo shop for processing need to look at snapshot-sharing in a new way. For those who have yet to buy a digital camera, there are vast amounts of information on Web sites like pcworld.com on how to choose the one best for you. The most I can do here is offer a few definitions and some basic tips.  Read More...

It is hard to imagine the world without computers. I often find myself wondering about how we survived in the pre-computer era. Just a few short years ago the general population used computers for much less than we do now. Sure, many of us used the computer to surf the web, maybe do a little research using online encyclopedias, perhaps send e-mail and play an online game or two. That was then.  Read More...

I don't enjoy writing about things that don't work, but I feel duty-bound to warn readers about AT&T CallVantage, the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which is supposed to save subscribers money. I have spent countless hours with AT&T's tech support people along with spending lots of money on cell phone calls, since CallVantage has yet to work reliably. Furthermore, when I asked to have the VoIP canceled and my former service restored, I was told I would have to wait 14 days.  Read More...

Bill Karn called and asked how to back up his Outlook Express e-mails. Here's the most efficient way: By default, incoming OE messages land in a folder named "Inbox" while a copy of each outgoing message is kept in the "Sent Items" folder. Deleted messages are sent to the "Deleted Items" folder, where they remain until permanently removed by the user. Beyond this, you can create all the personal folders and sub-folders you want.  Read More...

A question often heard at this time of year is, "How can I copy data from my old computer to my new one?" There are many ways, but I think the most practical is to use a USB flash memory drive. These thumb-size devices are available with storage space up to a full gigabyte and will show up as an additional drive under My Computer when plugged into a computer's USB port.  Read More...

Rob Edwards called to ask how to create "newspaper-like" columns in a word processing document. Well, there are two approaches; one uses the Format > Columns command, and the other uses the Tables command. The first works well for volumes of text that one wants to make more legible by dividing it into bible-like columns. However, Tables allow you manipulate text and graphics in all kinds of creative newspaper-like ways.  Read More...

Rarely does a week pass that I don't get a call from someone who says trying to type a word into the middle of an existing sentence causes the text to the right to be "swallowed up" rather than moving over to make room for the new typing. The fix: press your INSERT (or INS) key once. Pressing it again will return you to the "swallow up" mode.  Read More...

I have written previously about using a computer as a substitute telephone, wherein a headset is connected to your PC's speaker and microphone jacks. If you have a PC friend with a similar setup you can have free long distance voice conversations via IM services offered by AIM, Yahoo, and others. Check their Help files for details.  Read More...

Liz Jones wrote to ask if I put any downloadable holiday clipart on my Web site this year. Well, just a little, since free clipart is so easy to find online nowadays. Go to www.google.com (or any other favorite search engine), click on "Images" and type in something like "holiday clipart" or something more specific, such as "angels" or "Santa Claus."  Read More...

Greg Kunde wrote to say his new computer came with a trial copy of Microsoft Office 2003, which eventually disabled itself and informed Greg that it could be permanently reactivated by arranging to buy it. Greg said he had created several MSWord files with the program, which had now became inaccessible, and asks if there is a less expensive alternative to MSWord.  Read More...

Links—what are they? When you go to a web site, links are the little bits of information that when clicked on will take you to another website of similar context. The thing is, with these strange and mysterious human minds of ours that we know so little about, these links, if navigated subconsciously, can take one to places of information you normally would never travel to. You could start out in the light and end up in a black hole.  Read More...

This is a really simple question to answer—you need to use antivirus software to protect your own computer, and to prevent your computer from being used to pass on infections to other machines without your knowledge. If you use the internet and you don't take precautions, you're going to get infected. And you'll infect others, including those you care about most like your friends, family, and business contacts because their information is in your email address book and other files on your computer.  Read More...

The Internet is an awesome tool, but be careful and aware that the cloud of over-stimulation doesn't invade your mind.

It seems we have to become aware of a new problem that is starting to invade our modern, industrial society, that being the problem of over-stimulation. The Internet is an excellent tool but we have to remember that the mind is the most valuable tool imaginable. Some would argue that spirit or soul is of equal or more importance.  Read More...